Fall 2011 - Mississippi American Choral Directors Assocation

The Choral Advocate
The Newsletter of the Mississippi Chapter of the
American Choral Directors Association
FALL 2011 IISSUE
MISSISSIPPI
ACDA
P ROMOTING THE ART
C HORAL M USIC
OF
MS ACDA President
Hello and I hope your fall is off to a fantastic start! I want to tell you the
goal of Mississippi ACDA is to serve you and your needs better than ever
before. The board met in early August and has an ambitious agenda to
reach out to our membership in new ways, and also seek new members
amongst our colleagues as well. Our organization is and always has been
as strong as its collective coalition of great educators in schools, churches,
and communities. Here are many initiatives that we are setting forth for
the next 12-18 months:
The 2nd Annual ACDA Male Vocal Symposium was held on Saturday,
September 10 at Pearl High School with over 175 participants from elementary, junior high, and high schools, as well as young men from
churches and communities. There is no better way to encourage male
singing than bringing them together in an event like this. Look for details
soon for next year’s symposium and don’t miss this opportunity.
John Flanery
University of Southern Mississippi 
The deadlines for session proposals and concert performances for our
joint convention with MMEA are earlier this year. Session proposals are
due via online submission on Sunday, October 30. Concert performances are postmarked
due on Monday, October 31. This is to ensure quality concerts and stimulating assemblies at
our conference March 22-24, 2012 in Jackson.
 A future music educator’s immersion day at our conference is planned for Friday of convention this year. In an attempt to draw our brightest and most talented college students into
our annual gathering, there will be a specific track of sessions on Friday, March 23 at the
convention to appeal to these future colleagues.
 Our website is undergoing a reconstruction by our new colleague, Nick Cummins of Delta
State University. With the assistance of Donna McCommon, Nick has worked tirelessly to update information on our website, www.msacda.org.



Look for information regarding a new children’s choir festival for 2012-2013 soon. Many of
our board members are laying the foundation for what is sure to provide a meaningful opportunity that fills a gap in our current offerings.
We also have a continued commitment to sessions for church musicians at our state conference. We have numerous part-time church musicians among our current membership, and
we need to reach out to our full-time colleagues and provide a significant convention experience for them as well.
ACDA is a wonderful organization and your state chapter has a top-notch board. Challenge us to
provide you with experiences and opportunities. The time is now. It is an honor to serve you for
the next two years. Please contact me if I can ever be of assistance to you.
Have a creative and energetic year!
John Flanery, Mississippi ACDA President
Assistant Professor, University of Southern Mississippi
ACDA Advocacy Resolution
Whereas, the Human spirit is elevated to
a broader understanding of itself through the
study and performance in the aesthetic arts,
and
Whereas, serious cutbacks in funding and
support have steadily eroded state institutions
and their programs throughout our country,
Be it resolved that all citizens of the
United States actively voice their affirmative
and collective support for necessary funding
at the local, state, and national levels of education and government, to ensure the survival
of arts programs for this and future generations.
Membership
Share the Great News!
Have you had something great happen to you recently? Maybe a terrific
classroom of musicians? An amazing sound coming from your choir after
only a few rehearsals? Were you on pins and needles until you could get to
someone to share the “great thing”?
Carol Joy Sparkman
MS ACDA Membership
Mississippi College
ACDA is the great thing that we all should be sharing. Plans have been
made to add events that would benefit choral directors of every age level.
This September the second Male Symposium was held with almost 200 in
attendance. In January 2013, a Children’s Choral Festival will be held in
three areas of our state. The event is designed to give elementary school
music students an opportunity to sing together and provide interest sessions for the choral music teacher. Details about this festival will be available at the Spring conference.
It is up to the membership to tell those who are not members how Mississippi ACDA is continuing to
offer new opportunities for enrichment . Grow MS ACDA by telling others about the great things that
are happening.
The Advocate is the official newsletter of the Mississippi Chapter of
the American Choral Directors Association. It is published in October and
February. The deadline for articles is the first day of the month preceding
publication. Items received after the deadline may not be published.
Letters to the editor and advertisements are encouraged and should
be sent to: Brad Johnson, PO Box 644, Wesson, MS 39191 or email
brad.johnson@colin.edu. Mississippi ACDA reserves the right to select
and edit any and all materials submitted for publication. For membership
information or address changes contact Carol Joy Sparkman, 410 Winding
Hills Drive, Clinton, MS 39056, or email sparkman@mc.edu. Additional
information and resources are available on the Mississippi ACDA website
www.msacda.org.
Advertising Rates for The Advocate
Full Page: $150.00 (7.5” x 10”)
Half Page: $100.00 (7.5” x 4.5”)
Quarter Page: $50.00 (3.75” x 4.5”)
Two-Year College Choirs
5 Tips for Reviving a Lifeless Rehearsal
1. Change the standing arrangement. This almost always works for
my groups. Since there are no chairs in the choral hall, standing in one
place for too long gets boring at times. My choir’s favorite alternate arrangement is section circles. I have each section stand in a circle and
spread out. If we are working on an a cappella piece, we often form one
large circle around the room.
2. Incorporate physical movement. Use motion to accompany whatever technique you are working on at the moment. Arm gestures are
great when working towards a specific dynamic goal for a phrase. Although it is great to incorporate movement with a teachable moment,
sometimes students just need some sort of physical activity to regain their
focus.
LaDona Tyson
Pearl River Community College
3. Break for sectionals. If a rehearsal is not being as productive as I would like, I will often dismiss some of the group and keep the rest for a sectional. If there is a particular passage that one
section is struggling with, I use that time to devote attention to that passage.
4. Team Time!! Though I typically only use this approach during the first two weeks of school, I
keep a couple of activities prepared for later in the year. With 10 minutes left in class, a team building activity can help students reconnect with each other. Games that help students learn each
other’s names and character traits are good for early in the year. Later in the year, I use activities
that focus on listening, trust, and motivation.
5. Coach up your choir. At the end of one of those really long horrible rehearsals (that we ALL
have at times), I will often take time to remind students of our purpose. Emphasize goals that you
are working towards. Remind the choir of how great they felt after a productive rehearsal. Ask the
students to discuss what went wrong in rehearsal that day and how they can improve for the next
rehearsal. Sometimes I pass out
index cards and ask students to
write down 2 things they like best
about rehearsal and 2 things that
can be improved upon. Students,
particularly two-year college students, like to feel that they have
input.
MS ACDA Ernestine Ferrell Award
The Ernestine Ferrell
Award for Excellence in Choral Music in Mississippi is a
prestigious award established
in 1992 and honors the
memory of Mississippi’s longtime State Supervisor of Music, Ernestine Ferrell. To be
selected as a recipient of this
Milfred Valentine
award, one must have been
2011 Ernestine Ferrell Award Recipient presented by Tammy Carney
active in Choral Music in Mississippi for at least twenty
years, should have made significant contributions to the choral art, and
should have the respect and admiration of colleagues and students
alike. Previous honorees include Peggy Felder, James Leslie Reeves,
Leonard Metts, Jack Donovan, Geneva Reeves, Joanne Edwards, Martha
Murray, Roland Shaw, Donna McCommon, Rose Longwitz, Lillian Lee,
Richard Joiner, James Hawkins, J Bruce Lesley, Robert Sims, Martha
Neilson, Mark Malone, Gail McInnis, Nancy Moore, Brad Johnson, and
Milfred Valentine. There are many other distinguished choral musicians
who deserve to be nominated for this award. A committee of past
presidents will select the recipient of this year’s award. Postmark your
letter of nomination no later than February 28, 2011. Send a detailed
letter describing the career and contributions of the nominee including
their current contact information, places and years of service and personal achievements. Send nominations to Tammy Carney.
Men’s Choirs
Participants at the 2nd Annual Male Vocal Symposium
U.S.M. Men’s Ensemble 2011 Convention
Boychoirs
Boys to Men
2nd Annual Male vocal Symposium
The 2nd Annual Male Vocal Symposium was held on Saturday, September
10th at Pear High School. We had 20 teachers and 180 participating young
men. Dr. John Flanery, Assistant Choral Director from USM served as our
changed voices conductor featuring 7th graders through adult. Thanks to
Reese Norris, we even had some church choir participation! Tammy Carney, choral director at Clinton Junior High was our conductor for the treble
voices. It was a joy to see these young boys in Mrs. Carney’s rehearsal
hang on and follow her – each and every move.
Andrea Coleman
Cantabile Youth Chorale
This event comes early in the year to help boost the young men who are
participating in your program. This experience is invaluable to these boys. Below are some comments regarding the experience this week-end.
“My guys enjoyed the vocal male symposium so much. They came back to school raving about how
much fun they had and the great music that they got to perform. I feel it gave them better confidence to have the experience of singing with other men.”
“My boys really enjoyed the day. Dr. Flannery was excellent with them and they brought back some
much needed confidence to MY choral program!”
“I truly enjoyed the MVS Saturday. I have told all of my students what a wonderful event it was. I
also told them how wonderful the young men sounded. It was glorious to see all those young men
singing together. I think they did a great job, especially after only singing togeher for the short
time they practiced on Saturday.”
“What a great way to motivate young men to sing! I thought the gentlemen were engaged, prepared, and excited to be singing among the larger group. It was an encouraging day for all of Mississippi ACDA.”
I hope you will consider joining us next year. All details will be on our web-site: www.msacda.org
Student Youth Activities
So Much To Do, Such Little Time
I am excited to be serving as your R&S Chair for Youth Student Activities!
As I was thinking about what to write for the newsletter, I kept going
back to the idea of over-saturation in available activities at school these
days. Today’s students are pulled in many different directions – classes,
music, drama, art, athletics, testing, etc.
So, how does choir fit into this and how do we, as music educators, further participation in our program? I try to focus on making a positive experience for my groups. Here are a few helpful ideas that I utilize:
1. Work on building a cohesive family group within your program. A successful choral organization demands that those in it work
together toward a mutual goal. If you approach your choir like any other
class without getting to that deeper level, your product will be superficial
at best.
Jonathan Kilgore
Gulf Coast Community College
2. Get to know your singers! Students want to feel cared about and that they would be missed
if they were absent. Take time out of your schedule to talk with them before and after rehearsal.
Building this type of rapport will increase trust and engagement on both sides.
3. Remember that it is not always about the end-goal. So often we focus on a concert, on
scores at festivals, etc. What about all the time in between? The journey can sometimes be so
much more worthwhile than the destination, if you allow it to be. Take time to smell the proverbial
roses.
4. Branch out from the usual schedule. Think about involving your group in a service learning
project. This will enrich the lives of your students and those they touch while bringing your group
closer together and helping them to see that music is universal. Also, plan some social events for
your groups, both in and out of the classroom. Fun is always good and can definitely have a positive result.
5. Recruitment should be productdriven. I have always believed that if
the “product” is good, people will want
to be there. This doesn’t mean that you
can give up on pounding the pavement
and working to build your program, but
it sure is easier when potential students
see an existing sense of success.
College/University
HELP YOUR DEPARTING STUDENTS TO PREPARE FOR THEIR FUTURE!
We often let our students plan for their future without the guidance and advice
they need from us. I want to encourage you to do three important things for
your departing students/singers this year.
Get them started early! If students are planning on attending college next
year as a singer or music major, the fall is the time to get started. With the current economy, many schools have made their deadlines for application and
scholarships earlier on the calendar. Most music scholarships are stackable with
other awards including the types of grants and loans that are available through
financial aid. However, if you miss the deadline for other awards, you will often
severely limit the number of affordable choices you have for higher education.
The same advice goes to students considering graduate school in music. The
deadline for application for most assistantships in music is often early spring. If
you have students in your college program that will be applying for jobs in music
next year, their resume/vita should already be taking shape. Putting together
thorough, compelling, and mistake free documents should not be left to the last
minute.
Gregory Fuller
University of Southern Mississippi
Convince your students to shop and apply at multiple schools. Choosing
the right fit for higher education is an important and very individual process. Too often, students make
choices based on what friends, parents, and teachers have done without investigating several possibilities.
While giving serious consideration to the preferences of individuals in that student’s life, also help them to
look further. Whether visiting several schools confirms their original instincts, or helps them find a new and
better option, the outcome of looking at several options for higher education is almost always a healthy exercise. No two students are alike and each has individual needs and preferences. A music student is more successful if they are happy and appropriately challenged. If your student is applying for work in music education, encourage them to expand their search for jobs as wide as they can stand. There is no doubt that limiting your search for employment reduces the percentage chance of finding a suitable job.
Get them ready for the audition/application process. If students are auditioning for a music scholarship, they need a couple of vocal pieces ready to perform. While some have changed their expectations,
many schools still require some type of art song, possibly two. It doesn’t need to be complex, but it needs to
represent the skills of the singer. It is preferable if the piece is memorized. If not, take two copies of printed
music so the accompanist has a copy. Prepare your student to sing with accompaniment. Unless you know
that the audition center allows the use of a CD track, assume that they don’t. Many of your students won’t
know this without your counsel. Give them advice on how to stand, how to dress, and how to speak to those
running the audition process. Many students with ability are hurt by inappropriate decorum and behavior
during the audition process. Encourage the parents of students to support this process and travel with their
prospective students when they visit/audition. If parents or students ask how they can better prepare for
being a music major next year, tell them to practice the piano or start piano lessons immediately. The number one reason that music majors don’t finish a degree is the lack of preparation for the science of music.
Piano is the primary vehicle for success in this area. No music major at an accredited school can finish without basic competence at the piano. If your students are entering the job market in music education, prepare
them for interviews and the types of questions they will have to answer. Teach them professionalism, diplomacy, honesty, and judgment with their ideas, speech and appearance.
There are other things that you can do to help and encourage students as they prepare to continue as musicians, but the basic three listed above are essential. Most of all, teach students to love music for the sake of
music, and help them become first-rate musicians. Give them the gift of music by teaching music literacy
and musicianship.
Music in Worship
What is “worship”? Week to week most of us have at least some parttime duties for leading or directing the music portion of our services. But
what IS worship? If we look scripturally at our examples there are no
New Testament corporate examples of worship (mainly because most new
pockets of believers feared persecution and met privately). The Old Testament provides us with the best examples of what corporate worship of
God should be. The most visual tool to use as we instruct others and
teach our “Bodies” to worship is the picture of the Temple. The outer
courts of the temple is the area for rejoicing; in Nehemiah it says the
“noise of Jerusalem was heard from afar”. That’s exciting to know that
the people unanimously agreed to raise their praise to God. Imagine if
ALL of our congregations did so as well. The next area was the Altar; it
was here that the people brought their offerings to God for acceptance.
The most amazing thing to me is that God made provisions for ALL people
Wm. Chris Brown
to bring different forms of sacrificial animals based on what they COULD
Oxford High School
bring. The point is; bring SOMETHING! Whether you contribute through
the choir or help usher or greet folks do what God has gifted you to do. 1st Chronicles shows in detail that David selected the leaders for worship based specifically on their knowledge and skills. I
believe this is the area where we the modern-day Church are lacking. We’ve allowed anyone to do
some of the most important duties “at the altar” and therefore our preparation for the Holy of Holies
is skewed. OUR Holy of Holies, in the modern-worship area is when we have lead folks through
worship and offerings to point of receiving the Word of God (or sermon) and allow the Holy Spirit to
meet with those individuals in THEIR Holy of Holies where God can change the heart of the individual. Did you notice the focus shift
from us corporately to a more intimate time of personal reflection
and change? Strive to lead your
churches with this model and see
if it doesn’t help refocus your worship. Always remember WHO we
are meeting to worship. Please
email me if you have any questions or comments. Blessings!!
Women’s Choirs
Its that time of year again!! For the 2011 All-State Women's Honor
Choir, our clinician was Dr. Judy Bowers of Florida State University. She
did an outstanding job, and I know the students really enjoyed working
with her. This year our 2012 clinician is Dr. Anthony Maglione from William Jewell College in Liberty, MO. He holds degrees from Westminster
Choir College, East Carolina University and University of California at Los
Angeles.
This promises to be another great All-State Honor Choir. I am very
excited about the great work that is being done in our state. I challenge
our directors to take advantage of the opportunities that an honor choir
can provide, and I urge you to encourage your young ladies to audition
for this honor choir if you have never done so.
Joel Dunlap
Long Beach High School
Most of the time, we directors are concerned with our next concert or contest. I know that all of
us are extremely busy with keeping our community and administration satisfied with quality choral
concerts or superior ratings to bring home from contest. Please allow me to stress the importance
of an honor choir experience. This allows prestige and honor to return to your school and community just as a trophy might from a district or state contest. In addition, this also provides a great
educational opportunity and singer camaraderie within the choir by meeting new singers from
across the state. Being selected as an honor choir participant is a great privilege to behold and instills a sense of pride, responsibility, and prestige with your students.
Please visit www.msacda.org for the registration form and repertoire information. The auditions
will be the same dates and locations as the mixed honor choir auditions. Please email me with any
questions or concerns.
2012 ACDA All State Women’s Honor Choir
Anthony Maglione, Clinician
Conductor/Composer Anthony Maglione earned his Bachelor of Music
degree at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, his Master of
Music Degree at East Carolina University, and his Doctor of Musical Arts
at the University of California, Los Angeles.An active composer, Anthony
has had his works performed by a wide array of professional and armature ensembles and is published on GIA’s “Evoking Sound” choral series.
In 2005, he was commissioned to compose “Prayer of Columbus” which
was premiered at the United Nations building in New York City. In 2008,
his anthem “O Master Let Me Walk With Thee” was performed by the
Crystal Cathedral Choir both at the Western Division ACDA convention
and on the internationally syndicated television broadcast “The Hour of
Power”. In 2009, Anthony composed the soundtrack for the video game
“National Geographic Traveler’s Sudoku: China!” and was the featured
composer for the choirs of the New England Conservatory during their 2009 – 2010 concert season.
As a conductor, Anthony has made numerous guest conducting appearances and has prepared
choirs for such esteemed conductors as James Conlon, James Jordan, David Newman, Donald
Neuen, and Alex Treger. From 2001 to 2005, Anthony served as director of the Piscataway High
School (NJ) choirs, a large, performance-intensive department that made regular appearances at NJ
State Department of Education meetings, Teen Arts Festivals, and Carnegie Hall. From 2007 to
2010, Anthony served as Conductor of the UCLA University Chorus, Director of Music Ministries at
American Lutheran Church in Burbank, CA, and Assistant Conductor of the Angeles Chorale. Since
2008, he has served as the Associate Conductor of the Westminster Choir College Summer Vocal
Institute.
In addition to his responsibilities at William Jewell College, Anthony serves as the Music Director at
Platte City United Methodist Church in Platte City, MO and serves as Artistic Director of the Freelance Ensemble Artists of NJ, a newly formed symphony orchestra dedicated to providing performance opportunities for collegiate, young professional and veteran musicians.
Anthony is a member of ACDA, ASCAP, MACRO, MENC, the American Composer’s Forum, and Pi
Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society.
Audition Dates:
January 26, 2012 - Tupelo High School
January, 28, 2012 – Pearl High School
January 31, 2012 – William Carey College
2012 ACDA All State Honor Choir
Dr. Suzanne M. Pence, Clinician
Suzanne M. Pence is Associate Professor of Music and Human Learning, at The University of Texas at Austin where
she has been teaching since 1996. Her duties are conducting the Concert Chorale, teaching undergraduate conducting, choral arranging, secondary choral methods, supervision
of student teachers in secondary choral music education,
and supervision of graduate students in choral music education. The Concert Chorale has toured throughout the southern United States and performed for the regional conference
of the Southwest American Choral Director Association in 2006. From 2003-2007, Dr.
Pence held the administrative position of Director of Undergraduate Studies. In the
fall of 2007 she began serving the School of Music as Director of Admissions and is
responsible for organizing recruitment and admission activities for both graduate and
undergraduate students. She coordinates and co-conducts the summer Longhorn AllState Choral Camp. Dr. Pence held the position of Director of Choral Activities at
Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina from 1994-1996. She received the DMA in
Choral Conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1993 where she
studied with Drs. Eph Ehly and Charles Robinson. She holds a Masters of Music Education degree from Wichita State University where she studied with Dr. René Clausen
and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois
where she studied with Richard Hoffland. Before pursuing the DMA, Dr. Pence was
the vocal music teacher at Neosho High School in Neosho, Missouri for six years.
Along with her duties at The University of Texas she served as Minister of Music at
Highland Park Baptist Church in Austin, from 1997-2010. She recently accepted the
position of Director of Music Ministry at Oak Hill United Methodist Church in Austin.
Dr. Pence is active as an adjudicator and clinician/festival conductor throughout the
country, and was an invited conductor with the MidAmerica Productions Choral Festivals at Carnegie Hall. She is a member of MENC, TMEA ACDA, and TCDA. She has
served ACDA as the College/University R&S Chair of the Southwest ACDA from 20022006. She and her husband Rusty have two children, Sara 19 and Alex 17.
Audition Dates:
January 26, 2012 - Tupelo High School
January, 28, 2012 – Pearl High School
January 31, 2012 – William Carey College
Mississippi ACDA All State Honor Choir
March 22-24, 2012
Suzanne Pence, Clinician
Auditions:
January 26, 2012 – Tupelo High School
January 28, 2012 – Pearl High School
January 31, 2012 – William Carey University
Music:
All That Hath Life and Breath, Rene Clausen, Mark Foster 223 (Pepper # - 1461284) $1.95
Ave Verum Corpus, William Byrd, E.C.Schirmer 393 (Pepper # - 9504246) $1.85
Hallelujah from “Mount of Olives”, Beethoven, Hal Leonard 08679658 (Pepper # - 1586494) $1.70
Von Ewiger Liebe, Johannes Brahms, Alliance Publications AMP0617 (Pepper # - 10001871) $1.70
Sure on this Shining Night, Morten Lauridsen, Peer Music 62128-122 (Pepper #- 3303314) $1.90
Elijah Rock, Moses Hogan, Hal Leonard 08705532 (Pepper # - 1922947) $1.70
Please refer to your MHSAA Choral Manual for rules and regulations for participation
or visit www.msacda.org
$10.00 per student non-refundable audition fee, due with registration.
Registration fee includes a rehearsal CD.
November 1, 2011 – Deadline for registration.
Please note early deadline. This is to insure receipt of rehearsal tracks.
School _____________________________________ Director ___________________________________
Address ___________________________________ City ________________________Zip ____________
Email ________________________________________________ Fax No. ________________________
ACDA Membership Number (REQUIRED) __________________________________
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR MEMBERSHIP IS CURRENT!
Number of Students Participating in Auditions:
MUST BE COMPLETED:
Soprano ________ Alto ________ Tenor _______ Bass ________ FEE ENCLOSED $___________
Requested Audition Site: ___________Tupelo __________Pearl ____________William Carrey University
Return form and registration fee to:
Donna McCommon
Fax: 601-898-8775
101 Overlook Pointe Circle
Ridgeland, MS 39157
dwmccommon@comcast.net
Make Checks Payable to Mississippi ACDA. Please send one check for each school, not a personal check from each student.
Tips for Making Your Choir Musical…”Stolen gems from around the choral world”
TONE
“You do not sing as you talk any more
than you run like you walk.”
• Posture provides the opportunity for
resonance
• It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that
ring!
• Resonance is volume
• Keep the soft palate raised with the
brightening of the eyes
• Sing with a mature quality
• The inspiration is in the inhalation:
“inspirare”
• Breath support, breath management
• Spin the tone
• Facial expressions can improve tone
and
intonation
• Color your vowel sounds to fit the text,
style, and genre
• Keep eyebrows and bottoms up
RHYTHM
“Movement creates musicality; musicality
lies in our physical movements. The
rhythm of the piece should be internalized.”
• Rhythmic integrity
• Attacks and releases
• Consonants in front of the beat, vowel
on the beat
• Breathe – Sing
• Cross-listen
• Buoyancy
INTONATION
“Unification of vowel sounds is the single
-most important factor that influences
intonation.”
• The sharper the dissonance, the freer
the consonance
• The beauty is in the dissonance
(without
conflict, there is no resolution)
• Suspensions
• Balance
• Cross-listen
• We should use our ears more, mouths
less!
DICTION
“Elegance through syllabic stress”
• Buy in to ALL consonants
• Sing the language and not the notes
• Dynamic contrast and linguistic expressiveness
 Articulation – space between notes
INTERPRETATION
“Squeeze the fruit. Let its juice drip out.”
• Let no note go un-nurtured
• Never sing the same thing the same
way twice
• Each note should desire to go the next
one
• Lines should pull like scarves from a
magician’s coat pocket
• Dynamics – contrasts explore ranges of
dynamics
• Style
• Relationship of phrase and text
• Energize phrases
• Intensity and volume of a phrase
grows or diminishes during rests
• Give every note its FULL life (birth,
school, marriage, grandparent, death)
• Melody must always be present; back
off and allow the melody to be highlighted
• Physical movement can be a catalyst
for
musical movement
• Don’t sing the notes, sing the line
• Lighten the vowel to fit the tempo and
“repronounce” with clarity
• Make the release of one phrase the
springboard into the next
COMMUNICATION
“Enjoy the music. Sing the meaning of
the text. Provide an experience, rather
than perform music.”
• Inform your face!
• Music begins in the human experience
of the poet
• Sing with a performer’s mentality: become a character, sell that character
• Don’t break my prayer
• Think of a way you can relate to the
song then apply it to the music
• Paint a picture with your body, face,
and voice
• Know word-for-word translations
• Color
• Use of silence
• Create beauty
• Tell the story
• Become the music
MOTIVATION
“Ask for more!”
• Positive reinforcement
• Build relationships
• Listen to your singers’ point of view
• Model what you want
• Refuse to accept poor performance
• Consistent discipline builds pride and
esprit de corps among students
• The team effort results in a product
that
is much greater than the sum of its parts
• Get out of their way
CHOOSE THE RIGHT LITERATURE
“You must love it!”
• Music must fit the abilities and
personalities of your choir
• Choose literature of integrity
• Be flexible and creative
• Show off your strong points
• Take risks
ATTENTION IS IN THE DETAIL
“No detail is too small.”
• Outfits, uniforms
• People hear what they see
• Riser etiquette and placement
• Create depth and utilize more of the
stage during a performance
• Acoustic considerations
• Showering and deodorant help!
OWNERSHIP
“You are responsible for every single
note.”
• Know, not only your own part, but
others as well
• Listen more and do not rely on the
conductor so much
• Keep your focus!
• Go over my music alone!
• “I will clear my mind of all external
thoughts and dive into the music”
• Become one with the piece
• Put all your energy into what you are
singing ♦
Jeff Seaward, California Two-Year College Choir Representative
Original printing: California Cantate
Newsletter, Winter 2009
Procured by Robert “Bobby” Sims, Terry
High School
Mississippi ACDA
Administrative
Board
President
John Flanery
26 May Apple Avenue
Hattiesburg, MS 39402
University of Southern Mississippi
118 College Drive #5081
Hattiesburg, MS 39406
C-601.434.1977
W-601.266.6931
H-601.620-4150
F-601.266.6427
John.flanery@usm.edu
President-Elect
Election to be held in 6 months
Vice-President
Tammy Carney
1209 Fox Hill Drive
Clinton, MS 39056
Clinton Junior High School
711 Lakeview Drive
Clinton, MS 39056
W-601.925.4184
H-601.925.5639
Carneytammy44@gmail.com
Treasurer
Angie Rawls
3628 Judith Drive
Pearl, MS 39208
Pearl High School
500 Pirate Cove
Pearl, MS 39208
W-601.932.7943
H-601.932.7639
F-601.932.7943
C-601.260.4707
awrawls@pearl.k12.ms.us
Newsletter Editor
Brad Johnson
PO Box 644
Wesson, MS 39191
H-601.643.2543
C-601.754.0931
colinchoral@gmail.com
Newsletter Publication
Joanna Hunt
1030 Northpointe Dr.
Jackson, MS 39211
C-601-672-7409
jhuntchoirs@hotmail.com
Repertoire and Standards Chairpersons
Senior High School Choirs
Robert (Bobby) Sims
238 Lisa Circle
Madison, MS 39001
Terry High School
235 West Beasley
Terry, MS 39110
W-601.878.5905 ext. 1625
F-601.878.2782
rsims1358@yahoo.com
Show Choirs
Shane Cockrell
West Jones High School
C-601.297.5507
pscockrell@jones.k12.ms.us
Junior High/Middle School
Choirs
Chris Young
804 Longwood Place
Clinton, MS 39056
Sumner Hill Junior High
400 West Northside Dr.
Clinton, MS 39056
W-601.925.5510
H-601.924.0285
lyoung@clinton.k12.ms.us
Children’s Choirs
Michele Champion
100 Parker Drive, Apt.C5
Clinton, MS 39056
McLeod Elementary School
1616 Sandlewood Place
Jackson, MS 39211
W-601.987.3597
C-706.414.7920
mchampion70@gmail.com
schampion@jackson.k12.ms.us
Women’s Choir
Joel Dunlap
18080 Green Leaves Drive
Gulfport, MS 39503
Long Beach High School
300 East Old Pass Road
Long Beach, MS 39560
H-228.265.2383
W-228.863.5893
dunlapjo@lbsd.k12.ms.us
Men’s Choirs
Daniel Vernon
501 Fairways Dr. Apt. 12G
Vicksburg, MS 39183
Warren Central High School
1000 Hwy. 27
Vicksburg, MS 39180
W-601.631.2916
C-601.218.4631
bigdvernon@yahoo.com
Boy Choirs
Andrea Coleman
5025 HWY 80 E
Pearl, MS 39208
C-601.927.9604 acoleman516@gmail.com
Music and Worship
Chris Brown
Oxford High School
C-662.832.9877
wcbrown@oxford.k12.ms.us
Ethnic and Multicultural
Jabarie Glass
PO Box 1835
Southaven, MS 38671
Southaven High School
735 Rasco Drive
Southhaven, MS 38671
H-601.801.1280
Jabarie.glass@desotocountyschools.
org
Two-Year College Choirs
LaDona Tyson
302 Hyland Drive
Petal, MS 39465
Pearl River Community College
101 HWY 11 N
Poplarville, MS 39470
C-601.520.7826
ltyson@prcc.edu
College/University Choirs
Gregory Fuller
100 Greenleaf Dr
Hattiesburg, MS 39402
University of Southern Mississippi
118 College Drive #5081
Hattiesburg, MS 39406
C-601.329.3265
W-601.266.4092
H-601.296.1814
F-601.266.6427
Gregory.fuller@usm.edu
Youth Student Activities
Jonathan Kilgore
2409 Arbor View Circle
D’Iberville, MS 39540
MGCCC Jackson County Campus
W-228.497.7707
C-601.918.5239
jonathan.kilgore@mgccc.edu
Web Master
Nick Cummins
Delta State University
DSU Box 3256
Cleveland, MS 38733
W-662.846.4115
C-205.383.6077
Ncummi1@tigers.lsu.edu
ACDA Southern Division
Treasurer
SATB All-State Chair
Donna McCommon
101 Overlook Pointe Circle
Ridgeland, MS 39157
H-601.842.6498
dwmccommon@comcast.net
At Large
(MMEA President)
Andrea Coleman
Convention Registrar
Robby Daniels
506 East Franklin Street
Quitman, MS 39355
Quitman High School
210 South Jackson Avenue
Quitman, MS 39355
W-601.776.1270
C-601.409.0385
F-601.776.6136
rdaniels@qsd.k12.ms.us
Membership
Carol Joy Sparkman
410 Winding Hills Drive
Clinton, MS 39056
Mississippi College
PO Box 4021
Clinton, MS 39056
W-601.925.3449
C-601.214.8893
F-601.925.3945
sparkman@mc.edu
The Choral Advocate
The Newsletter of the Mississippi Chapter of the
American Choral Directors Association
FALL 2011 IISSUE
MISSISSIPPI
ACDA
P ROMOTING THE ART
C HORAL M USIC
OF